Well-screen.



M. E. LAYNE.

WELL SCREEN.

APPLLOATION FILED 11116.29, 1911.

M AHLoN n4 LAYN'E, or HOUSTON, TEXAS.

WELL-soitEEN. l

rosari?.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1913. Serial N o. 646,955.

'Application med August 29, 1911.

To all/:hom t mag/concern.'

Be it known that"I,-MAHLoN E. LAYNE, a citizen o-f the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in fell-Screens, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to well screens and has for its primary objects the provision of a screen having a maximum capacity; the -f provision of a screen of cheap and durable constructionhavingfa high -efficiency; and;1v the provision of a screen vwhich may be easily positioned and which willlno't clog either during or after installation. One

embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the' accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1. is a side elevation of a section" of the screen on a reduced scaleg'Fig' 2 isia partial section and part-ial end .elevation on a larger'scale; and Fig. 3 isa side elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion of the screening surface. p

-The screen maybemade from ordinary 'iron or steel tubing, orbe made from sheet metal plates first punched andsubsequently formed into'tubu'lar sections. Theslits are formed by'means of opposing serrated dies,

one insidethe tube and the other outside the tube, which dies on being brought 'toward each other shear out .the slits and bend the strips of metal between the slits int-o the angular positions indicated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings; 1 is the tube provided with the portions 2 and 3 for making connection with other tubular sections; 4 are the vert-ical screening slits, which may be grouped in the manner indicated in Fig.

*2, or in any other desired way; and 5 are b interior of the pipe.

The dies, used 4inthe formation of the screen, punch or press out the stripsA of metal 6-6 Fig. 2), so that the slit 4 therebetween is bounded by the inner edge 7 of the outer lip and t-he outer edge 8 of the inner lip, and as indicated in Fig. 3 the strips 6 are parallel to each other, so that the slits 4 aresubst-antially the same width from their lowerto their upper edges. In order to stifen the tube, sections :of metal -9 are left between the sets of slits, and other sections of metal 10 are left between the ends of such slits.

It will 4be noted that the screen section shown in Fig. 1 is larger at its lower end stiieninv rings which are riveted upon the l effective.

' tion above,

than at its upper end, thus providing a taand this construction constitutes animportant feature. of my invention.

pering tube,

This construction is itl permits gravel to advantageous in that 'be .placed around the screen and carried down'therewith as it is forced into the ground. This gravel assists in filtration after the screen has been posi,

tioned, and the Weight Aof the gravel pressing against the tapered sides of sists in the operation of forcing the screen downwardly. The enlargement of the screen toward the bottom is also valuable as in most cases the most prolific water formations are found at the greater depth, and the flaring of .the screen gives a large screening area at the point at which it is most The vfact that the gravel may be applied with this screen to serve as a supplemental screen, also permits the openings or slots in lthe screen to be made larger, which is. advantageous if proper screening can be secured, inasmuch as the larger slots are not as subject to'I clogging as the smaller ones. The use of'this form of tapering screen is further advantageous in that it permits the use of the screen in soil formations having a tendency to cave, in which under the ordinary conditions it would be necessary to case the well or'else go to very considerable expense in providing other means to prevent caving. With the tapered screen, the gravel holds the surrounding earth from caving, and the screening surface is'kept free from mud during the driving operation, so that there is no opportunity for the screen to fill up with dirt during its passage through unfavorable soil strata. It will be seen that theuse of the gravel in connection with theV tapered screen, permits of the use of a screening surface which might -not otherwise be available were it not for the protection by the gravel and the screening afforded thereby, so that the invention so far as the tapered feature is concerned, Vis notv limited to the use of a screen having vertical slots or slots formed in the manner indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

1 It will be understood, insofar as the gravel supporting feature of the invention is concerned, that the only requirement is that the lower end o-f the tube be largerthan the pormay be supported and that the length of the enlarged portion may be varied to suit con# whereby thev gravel vemployed ditions. It will be further understood that the character of., the screening means is immaterial in so far as the' gravel supporting feature is concerned.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following A well screen comprising a perforated metal tube enlarged at its lower portion and adapted to support a loose screening material around the reduced portion of the tube above such lower portion, and a tubular envelop of loose screening material extending upward from the said enlarged portion and -supported thereon and bearing at its inner surface against the tube and at itsouter surface against the material in whioh the screen y is located; the thickness of the walls of the tubular screening envelop being such that it may be inserted as the tube moves down during the positioning operation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two' subscribed witnesses.

MAHLON E. LAYNE.

Witnesses:

L. L. LoT'r, H. C. SAVAGE. 

